Page 59 of Habibi: Always and Forever

I drew my head back to be able to look at him, and he let go of our cocks.

Felix reached around me and washed his cum-laden hand off, and I snagged a few paper towels from the holder and crouched to scrub at the drops that had landed on the tile floor.

The quiet roared between us, a tension descending that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Why the fuck had I done that?

The plan had been to go the traditional route, get down on one knee, and I’d rehearsed a speech for ages, one that kept changing because words were never my strong point. That’d always been him.

Instead, I’d blurted out my proposal right before coming all over him. Right. I scrubbed my face with my palms and let out a groan.

“So,” Felix drawled as he shut off the sink and tugged his boxer briefs back on, then his slacks. “Was that a next-level orgasm, or…”

I glanced over at him, and the normal teasing spark was missing from his gaze, a curiosity to the tilt of his head.

I wrinkled my nose and reached down to snag my jeans.

A few fumbling movements and I’d extricated the small box from the pocket.

My body filled with a jittery energy, even after coming my brains out, and I turned to face Felix, who leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. He passed me an inquisitive look.

“I meant it,” I said, cracking the box open to reveal a black band with brass patterns engraved in the surface. “Just…fuck, the timing. Not what I had planned.”

Felix opened his mouth and then shut it, his eyes wide.

I chewed on my lower lip. I’d thought his yes was guaranteed, but maybe I’d moved too fast? “Felix, I knew from the day we met at sword-fighting class that you were it for me. You were all I’d ever wanted, and this past year has been a dream. I…just want you to be mine, forever.”

Felix pushed up from the wall and shook his head as he closed the inches between us.

He slid his fingers along my jaw and gave my beard a light tug.

“I’m already yours forever,” he said softly, one of those rare serious moments from him.

His eyes gleamed, and his grin was gentle. “But I’d love to be your husband.”

Euphoria burst through me like fireworks as I trembled while pulling the ring out of the box and then sliding it onto his finger. I squeezed his hand tight and then closed the space between us to claim his lips.

We’d exchanged a thousand types of kisses, but this one was sweet like a promise and desperate like a claiming.

I wrapped my hand around his nape and kissed him like he held every sunrise.

Because in my world, he did. His lips met mine with the same ferocity, and he slipped his tongue into my mouth, deepening the kiss further as I lost myself to sensation.

When I finally pulled back, Felix’s hair was mussed, his lips puffy from our kiss. Giddiness rushed over me anew. I ran my thumb over the ridges of the ring on his finger. Felix was going to be my husband.

“So, this was all you,” he said, tilting his head in the direction of the box office seats outside of the bathroom. “Getting the families together, the seats for the game…”

I shrugged. “I wanted it to be memorable.”

He shook his head, a grin on his lips. “With you, everything is.”

I’d spent most of my life feeling invisible, like I was boring, easy to pass over, but Felix changed that. He made me feel seen every single day, and I’d never give him up. The ring I gave him symbolized that promise in every way.

“Which is why we should get out of here,” I said. “Our families will be arriving any minute now.”

“And what’s the engagement story we’re going to tell them?” Felix waggled his brows as he approached the door. I tugged on my boxers, my pants, then slid my shoes on. “That you were so overcome by your orgasm you proposed to me on the spot?”

I elbowed him in the side as I glanced in the mirror, running fingers through my hair to smooth it out. “I’m sure Rory would be thrilled by that.”

“Look, your family overshares far more than necessary,” Felix said. “I don’t think they’d care. Though my mama might faint on the spot.”

“Let’s get out there,” I said, giving him the nudge toward the door.

Felix opened it and stepped out just to stop abruptly. I slammed right into him from behind.

And then saw why he’d stopped.

“…surprise?” My sister, Aislin, spoke first, standing in the middle of the box office area we’d reserved, along with my brother Declan and his boyfriend, Noah, plus Mom and Dad.

My brother Rory had arrived too with his boyfriend, Wyatt, and my other brother Ollie had brought Liam, his boyfriend and longtime family friend.

Shit, the whole batch of Brannons had gotten here not just on time but early.

I groaned. I’d never live this down.

“I needed help in the toilet,” Felix blurted out, which didn’t make sense at all. “I got stuck.”

“Really?” Ollie said. “Does the toilet need to be fixed?”

Liam dragged his husband down a bit and whispered in his ear, since my brother missed most cues.

Mom crossed her arms and fixed us with a look.

I heaved a sigh. “Can we not go into what two grown men might get up to in a bathroom?”

“Aww, memories,” Rory cooed and then flicked Wyatt in the shoulder. “Right?”

Wyatt shook his head and smirked, which was the proper response to Rory’s shenanigans.

“But look,” Felix said, lifting his hand with the engagement ring. “We’re engaged.”

Aislin let out a screech and rushed up to throw her arms around him. I relaxed. The engagement would be enough to distract the vultures…at least for a bit. Guaranteed they’d never let me forget they’d stumbled in on this.

“Was the proposing done before or after?” Declan asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Mid,” Felix called, and I heaved a sigh. Should’ve expected as much with my fiancé and my family. My heart lit up even at the thought of him as my fiancé.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have shown up early,” Dad said sheepishly. “We were wondering where you guys were.”

I scrubbed my face again, hoping we didn’t smell like sex. Still, I couldn’t regret it. The quick romp with Felix was us—his impulsiveness, his sense of adventure, and the way he brought me along with him.

Felix’s brother, Marco, entered the box office next, followed by Felix’s parents, along with Marco’s wife, Ruby, and their girlfriend, Kelsey.

“Are we late?” Marco asked as they approached.

“Nah, we’re just regretfully early,” Noah proclaimed, and Marco’s brows rose.

“I’m engaged,” Felix said louder, clearly trying to detour out of this conversation with his parents. His family was sweet and welcoming, but they weren’t oversharers like mine.

Felix’s mother let out a squeal and rushed at him, and his father caught my eye and offered me a nod of approval.

Dad squeezed my shoulder. “Good job. He’s perfect for you.”

Mom opened her arms up, and I gave her a tight hug. “I’m happy for you both.”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. The box office, that had seemed so huge when we first walked in, now felt crowded with both of our families, but I loved it.

I used to feel overwhelmed by the bunch of us, as if I got drowned out from all that noise, but with Felix, all it took was a glance to feel seen.

And right now, I needed to be with my fiancé. I let go of Mom and made my way to Felix, who was now swarmed by Marco, Kelsey, and Ruby.

“Did you know the ring exchange started in Ancient Egypt?” Declan said to Noah as I passed by. “Though, why we need bits of metal to remind us of our commitments is beyond me. I’m pretty sure it’s not that difficult to remember.”

I snorted. “Never change, Declan.”

“Congratulations.” Ollie swept in with a bear hug, intercepting me from getting to my fiancé. I hugged him back and then Liam thankfully pried his husband away. He passed me a wink.

“Is this bathroom safe?” Rory called out from the opposite side of the box office, and I rolled my eyes and lifted a middle finger in his direction.

Finally, I made it to Felix, and I wrapped my arms around him from behind, squeezing him in a tight hug.

He glanced up at me, his eyes shining, his grin contagious. The effervescent feeling bubbled inside me, buoyant, sparkling, and joyous.

“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” he murmured.

I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck. “Forever.”

“Forever,” he echoed, and deep in my bones, I knew it was the truth.

Felix and I, we’d been destined from the start.

* * *